Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United States and Belgium

Name: Belgium
Address: BE

For one person, living is cheaper in Belgium: $2,201 a month against $2,734 in the United States, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

131

Cost of Living Index in the United States
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United States Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Belgium
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Belgium Living Index

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🇺🇸 United States

$2,734

/mo nomad

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,201

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the United States and in Belgium

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in the United States and in Belgium actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,734 in the United States versus $2,201 in Belgium.

United States $2,734
Belgium $2,201

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,985 in the United States versus $3,255 in Belgium.

United States $3,985
Belgium $3,255

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,235 in the United States versus $4,309 in Belgium.

United States $5,235
Belgium $4,309

Internal cost variation is higher in the United States: monthly costs span $979 to $5,160, compared to $1,774–$2,584 in Belgium. City choice carries more weight in the United States.

Living in the United States is roughly 24% more expensive than in Belgium on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: the United States 101% above, Belgium 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.03 $20.03

$22.69 €20.32

-11.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.0 $80.0

$89.9 €80.5

-10.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.80 $11.80

$13.32 €11.93

-11.41%

Cappuccino

$5.55 $5.55

$4.03 €3.61

37.72%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 $2.66

$3.40 €3.04

-21.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$2.97 €2.66

-26.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.12 $6.12

$5.67 €5.08

7.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 $7.94

$5.17 €4.63

53.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.32 €1.18

-21.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.59 $3.59

$2.52 €2.26

42.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$2.30 €2.06

96.52%

Eggs

$4.28 $4.28

$4.16 €3.72

2.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.22 $13.22

$15.45 €13.84

-14.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.60 $12.60

$12.14 €10.87

3.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.60 $17.60

$20.36 €18.23

-13.56%

Apples (1kg)

$5.30 $5.30

$2.74 €2.45

93.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 $1.69

$2.36 €2.11

-28.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$2.74 €2.46

62.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$3.32 €2.98

43.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.97 $2.97

$2.22 €1.99

33.78%

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$1.82 €1.63

73.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.54 €1.38

42.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.09 €0.98

115.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.98 $10.98

$12.97 €11.61

-15.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.05 $15.05

$9.06 €8.12

66.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.90 €1.70

8.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.79 $3.79

$2.37 €2.12

59.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$3.43 €3.07

-43.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.4 $59.4

$62.1 €55.6

-4.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 $3.58

$5.64 €5.05

-36.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.88 $1.88

$2.62 €2.34

-28.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.84 $29.84

$44.53 €39.88

-32.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.97 €1.76

-48.22%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$28.8K $28.8K

$34.7K €31.1K

-17.20%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.2K $26.2K

$36.3K €32.5K

-27.80%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$218 $218

$229 €205

-4.90%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$62.5 $62.5

$22.44 €20.10

178.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.5 $74.5

$53.9 €48.28

38.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.86 $41.86

$35.15 €31.48

19.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.81 $22.81

$20.81 €18.63

9.61%

Cinema Ticket

$14.70 $14.70

$14.90 €13.35

-1.34%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,489 $1,489

$1,055 €944

41.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.3K $25.3K

$29.1K €26.0K

-13.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 $54.3

$105 €94.0

-48.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.71 $42.71

$48.39 €43.34

-11.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.1 $94.1

$106 €94.7

-10.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$147 €132

-22.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,659 $1,659

$981 €879

69.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,348 $1,348

$869 €778

55.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,682 $2,682

$1,529 €1,369

75.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,169 $2,169

$1,279 €1,146

69.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,283 $3,283

$4,522 €4,050

-27.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,482 $2,482

$3,161 €2,831

-21.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,296 $4,296

$2,999 €2,686

43.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

3.64

79.95%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for the United States: October 25, 2026

Last update for Belgium: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

United States

$1.3K 49.3%

Belgium

$869 39.5% 35.5% $478

Groceries & Markets

United States

$415 15.2%

Belgium

$350 15.9% 15.8% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United States

$355 13%

Belgium

$306 13.9% 13.9% $49

Eating Out

United States

$328 12%

Belgium

$334 15.2% 1.8% $6

Clothing & Footwear

United States

$137 5%

Belgium

$183 8.3% 33.2% $46

Getting Around

United States

$80 2.9%

Belgium

$95 4.3% 18% $14

Sport & Entertainment

United States

$71 2.6%

Belgium

$65 3% 8.9% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,620 in the United States, $930 in Belgium. Capital cities: $2,768 in Washington, DC vs $1,393 in Brussels.

National salary averages: $4,549 in the United States, $2,913 in Belgium. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 74% higher in the United States.

Dining out costs 17% more in Belgium.

Public transport is 17% more expensive in the United States.

Salaries are 56% higher in the United States, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United States.

Good to know

🇺🇸 United States

🇧🇪 Belgium

🕒 Local time

18:44 6:44 PM

00:44 12:44 AM

6 h ahead of the United States

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

340,110,988

11,584,008

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

United States Belgium 7,110 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

United States
Belgium

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

United States vs Belgium: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $2,201 per month in Belgium and $2,734 in the United States, Belgium comes out about 20% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,620 in the United States and $930 in Belgium. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: Belgium wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.